Michigan

Michelle Deatrick announces 2018 campaign for state Senate

Posted on September 9, 2017 at 9:30 AM

Washtenaw County Commissioner Michelle Deatrick, D-Superior Township, speaks at the Tax March in Ann Arbor on April 15, 2017, calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to publicly release his tax returns, while also calling for a fairer tax system.

Washtenaw County Commissioner Michelle Deatrick, D-Superior Township, speaks at the Tax March in Ann Arbor on April 15, 2017, calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to publicly release his tax returns, while also calling for a fairer tax system.(Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR, MI - Michelle Deatrick, a first-term Washtenaw County commissioner, is looking to make the leap to state Senate.

The Democrat from Superior Township officially announced her campaign this week for the 18th District seat currently held by Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor.

Warren will be term-limited next year and several Democrats in the Ann Arbor area are eyeing her seat, including state Rep. Adam Zemke and former state Rep. Jeff Irwin, both of whom say they're planning to run in 2018. Anuja Rajendra, founder and CEO of Ann Arbor-based fitness and dance studio BollyFit, also announced her campaign this week.

Deatrick, who ousted Republican Dan Smith to get elected to the county board last November, currently serves as the board's vice chair.

"I am deeply inspired by the energy and dedication of our community. Together, we are fighting for a government that truly cares about and serves the people, a government that works to ensure better pay for workers, clean air and safe water, investments in our schools, and a vibrant economy that works for all," Deatrick said in a statement.

Deatrick said she infuses her work as a county commissioner with the perspective of a community activist and has worked with grassroots groups opposing fracked gas pipeline projects and has stood with labor unions as they oppose wage and benefit cuts.

As a commissioner, she notes she has introduced proposals to increase the wages of county mental health care workers, to increase funding for an anti-poverty program, and to oppose the deportation of Lourdes Salazar Bautista, an Ann Arbor mother of three.

Deatrick said she was lucky enough to move to Michigan 14 years ago to attend graduate school at the University of Michigan.

"Like so many others who move here for work or school, I fell in love with the area, put down deep roots, and can't imagine living anywhere else. I want to give back, to serve this community which has given so richly to my family," she said.

A former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Kenya, Deatrick is an environmental activist and writing instructor, poet and former special projects director for the Bernie Sanders campaign in Michigan.

She also is a co-founder of Our Revolution Michigan, a statewide grassroots movement that advocates for progressive values and candidates. She holds degrees from Wesleyan University, Harvard University and the University of Michigan.

Deatrick and the other contenders for the 18th District Senate seat will compete in the Democratic primary in August 2018. The general election will be in November 2018.